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Italian scientists have cracked open the genetic make-up of pinot noir in a move that may lead to hardier vines and cheaper fine wines.

The researchers say they have found more than 2 million genetic variants within the pinot noir grape, providing winegrowers with a treasure trove in the hunt for new strains.

Pinot noir has been dubbed the 'heartbreak grape' because it is so difficult to grow and susceptible to disease.

Understanding what makes up the variety at the DNA level means it may now be possible to breed disease-resistant grapes without sacrificing taste, says Dr Riccardo Velasco, head of genetics at the Istituto Agrario San Michele all'Adige.

"Discovering these 2 million molecular markers is a tremendous tool which will help in the breeding not only of pinot noir but every cultivated grape variety," he says.

While the genome of pinot noir has already been mapped in draft form, Velasco and his team are the first to catalogue the many single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, found scattered among its 30,000 genes.

SNPs are single-letter changes in the genetic code.

The Italian researchers have also identified a large number of genes related to disease resistance, 289 of which contain SNPs, they report in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE.